America250MI
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In honor of the Semiquincentennial, The Henry Ford invites you to explore four remarkable America250 exhibits celebrating Michigan’s rich history and the broader American story.
The Henry Ford was one of America250MI’s most dedicated, creative, and consequential partners in Michigan’s Semiquincentennial commemoration. Through extraordinary leadership, thoughtful collaboration, and a deep commitment to education, The Henry Ford worked hand-in-hand with America250MI to help Michiganders explore the people, ideas, inventions, conflicts, and civic ideals that have shaped the American story. From the development of curated educational resources to its unforgettable role in Sharing the Spirit of America, The Henry Ford brought vision, precision, and remarkable scale to the work of commemoration. Its senior leadership and staff approached America’s 250th anniversary not as a single moment, but as an opportunity to invite reflection, spark conversation, and connect visitors of all ages with the complexity, creativity, and promise of the nation’s past and future.
The Henry Ford’s own America250 commemoration, planned years in advance, reflected the institution’s unmatched ability to tell the broader American story through objects, places, innovation, and lived experience. Its programming and exhibitions highlighted the enduring themes of liberty, ingenuity, perseverance, civic courage, and democratic participation—values that are central to understanding both the founding of the United States and the continuing work of building a more complete American story.
America250MI is profoundly grateful for The Henry Ford’s partnership, hard work, and friendship throughout the Semiquincentennial. As this website now serves as a read-only legacy resource, this page honors The Henry Ford’s extraordinary contributions to Michigan’s commemoration and its lasting role in helping communities understand the nation’s history through the people, artifacts, ideas, and movements that continue to shape American life.
The Jackson Home
Opening June of 2026,
Explore the Jackson Home at Greenfield Village, where the everyday life of an ordinary family intersects with the extraordinary story of the Civil Rights Movement, preserving a powerful legacy of courage, resilience, and the fight for voting rights.
Handmade: The Crafting of America
Mar 21, 2026-Jan 18, 2027
Handmade: The Crafting of America, an exhibition that traces the evolution of American craftsmanship through rare artifacts that reflect creativity, innovation, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Fabric of America: Our Fashions, Textiles, and Technologies Jun 7-Sept 13, 2026
Fabric of America: Our Fashions, Textiles, and Technologies, an exhibition from The Henry Ford that reveals how textiles have shaped American life through the enduring values of liberty, practicality, inventiveness, abundance, and individualism.
Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation
July 9-26, 2026
See nine original founding-era documents on public display at The Henry Ford as part of the National Archives’ traveling exhibition, Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation.
The exhibition is free to the public. Museum admission is not required.
As one of America250MI’s principal educational partners, The Henry Ford helped expand access to high-quality learning materials that supported historical understanding, civic reflection, and inquiry-based exploration. These resources encouraged learners to examine American history not as a fixed narrative, but as a living story shaped by invention, debate, struggle, creativity, and participation.
Through its exhibitions, collections, programs, and educational outreach, The Henry Ford helped ensure that the Semiquincentennial in Michigan would be more than a celebration. It became an invitation to think deeply about who we have been, who we are, and what we aspire to become.
